Come Together
by ProudtobeaGleek
Summary: Tragedy strikes William McKinley High School and the lives of New Directions are changed forever.


For Alexis. :D

**Come Together**

The first basketball game of the season draws an unusually high amount of people; the bleachers are filled before the players even hit the court, which leaves everyone at McKinley dumbfounded.

Emma Pillsbury usually doesn't attend these kinds of things; the floors are sticky and the air ends up reeking of body odor by halftime. But she does come. Armed with a travel pack of moist towellettes and a few bottles of Purell stashed away in her purse, she hits the stands and squints her eyes, looking for a place to sit.

"Emma! Over here!" A voice calls. She turns her head around and grins, returning the wave.

"Will. Hi," she greets, sitting down next to the crush-worthy Spanish teacher. She crosses her legs under her skirt, waiting for the game to start.

She didn't come to the game _just_ to see Will. What are you talking about?

Brittany and Santana agree to make it official. They're standing outside of the gym, bodies pressed against Santana's Chevy, their arms crossed. To the both of them this is awkward, considering they've never really made it official with anyone. But Santana knows she loves Brittany and wants to spend as much time with her as possible. Brittany knows she loves Santana – like, a lot – and...that's all she really does know in this situation.

"Santana?"

Santana raises her head to look at the blonde Cheerio. "Hm?"

"My tummy hurts."

"Oh, Britt, I'm sorry. Here," she pauses and hos off the hood of her Chevy to take Brittany's hand. "Let's go get you some ginger ale."

"No, it hurts in a good way. Like, it's all tingly. Right here." She picks up her shirt and points to her belly button. Santana's eyes quickly fill with tears, and she giggles happily.

"Britt, we have a problem," Santana whispers. "I think I'm in love with you."

And before they know it, they're locked in a passionate kiss that could last an eternity.

He's kissing her, everywhere. Planting them along her jawline, trailing them down her neck, then back up to her lips. And even though this isn't the first time they've done this – hidden in the janitor's closet in the gym, the lights off, half of their clothes stripped off their body – the kisses still feel real. To him, at least.

"Noah, please," she whispers, her eyes fluttered closed. He ignores her, pressing his lips to hers once more.

"Noah, stop," she mumbles against his lips, returning the kiss for a few seconds before pulling away. "This needs to stop."

He nods. "You're right. I'll meet you back here at halftime."

"No, I mean," she grabs onto his arm. "For good. I'm tired of this. You've been using me just to get your sexual desires filled and I'm sick of it."

"But...you don't understand, I..." he pushes her up against the wall, their skin touching in every way possible. "I think I love you, Berry," he breathes, their noses pressed against each other.

Mercedes isn't one to come to these kinds of events. It's a complete waste of time, and she usually gets her clothes ruined by nacho cheese or popcorn butter. But Kurt is here, and she knows he'd give her a load of shit the next day at school if she didn't come to support him.

"Mercedes!" He squeals when he sees her, grinning from ear to ear. They exchange a hug and a quick, friendly peck on the lips. Looping their arms, they push their way through the crowd towards the bleachers.

"Mhm, I'm in the mood for some chocolate," Mercedes says, eyeing the concession stand.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Kurt teases, nudging her.

"Oh, be quiet, vanilla. I'm sure you could out-eat me right now, being on the Cheerios and all."

The game starts and they depart for what they don't know will turn out to be a long, long time.

The gym doors bang open. McKinley is winning, 18-15. The cheering stops. Unusual people go to games all the time, and Quinn knows this, but this guy is different.

The boy who comes in looks disheveled, not just because his hair is a mess and his eyes are bloodshot, but his clothing is ripped. But that's not what makes everyone stare.

The boy has a gun; not a fake gun, a real gun, and Quinn's eyes widen as he walks to the other side of the gym.

Everybody screams, and the game freezes on court. Santana and Brittany stand, their pinkies locked. Miss Pillsbury and Mr. Schue grab onto each other's hands, as do Mercedes and Kurt. And, surprisingly, Puck and Rachel do the same. Finn's eyes lock onto Quinn's from across the room.

The first shot slices through the silence and Finn falls, blood spurting at his teamates remaining around him. She hears the second shot and feels like her head is full of wet cement.

Burt and Carole are celebrating their 6-month anniversary. It's very romantic in their opinion; chinese takeout, sharing a blanket on the couch, and a made for TV movie on the television makes them content. Carole shifts her weight and accidently changes the station from where the remote is sitting underneath her.

She lifts the remote to change the channel but the woman sitting behind the news desk starts talking about something she can't miss. "Breaking news, a school shooting at William McKinley High School in Lima leaves two students dead and several severely injured. We have live coverage after the break."

The remote is dropped on the floor. Carole struggles to find her cell phone. Burt is in the garage in a flash, knowing that his son isn't the only one in danger.

Quinn's fingers curl around Kurt's wrist; she's dragging him, Brittany, and Santana into the girl's locker room.

Kurt barely has time to register that all four of them are crying.

"Quinn, we need to go back and see if they're okay."

They pause in the middle of the locker room, and Quinn tightens her grip on him. "Kurt, now is not the time to be a hero. If any of us go back in there, we're dead."

Another two shots ring out and they're back to running.

Matt is frantic. In a matter of seconds the gym is completely cleared out, except for the pour unfortunate souls lying on the ground, blood seeping through their clothes. Tears rush down his cheeks and he feels like he needs to punch something, hard.

He can't find Mike.

Another bang hits his shoulder blade and everything fades to black.

Tina Cohen-Chang is at home when it happens. At home, with Artie, the both of them studying for the big History test they have tomorrow. Her dad is at work and her mom is in the kitchen, making them some dinner.

Pain seers through her stomach and she wraps an arm around her torso. Something is wrong. She can feel it.

"Mom," she calls out, her voice weak. "Give me the keys."

Regina Cohen-Chang does as she is told.

Tina and Artie are on their way to Kurt's house when they pass by the school, the parking lot flashing red and blue.

"Burt, I'm sure he's fine."

Burt stares blankly at the road in front of him, pulling into William McKinley's parking lot. The look on his face makes the tears swimming in her eyes spill over.

"Why haven't they called yet?" Burt questions. He looks so sad; she doesn't know what to do. They both get out of the car and he slips an arm around her waist.

"They're both fine," she murmers, mostly to herself. "I'm sure they're both fine."

Rachel drags Puck out so they don't lose each other and they weave their way through the stricken crowd, looking for someone they know. A small group of Cheerios, and one ex-Cheerio, tumbles out the back door of the girl's locker room.

"I don't see him! Noah, I don't see him!" She's crying now. Her eyes look crazed. "Finn!"

Puck hears her shout one more time before he breaks through the crowd to talk to the group of people slumped against the brick of the school. Santana is holding onto Brittany as hard as she can, tears streaming down their cheeks. Quinn has her face buried in her hands, and he's pretty sure she's sobbing by the way her body is shaking. Rachel is there in a flash, pulling Kurt into a hug. He latches onto her almost immediately.

"I'm fine, Rachel," Kurt whispers. His tone is weak and by the look on Rachel's face she's probably heartbroken. He kisses her lips reassuringly before leaving her to comfort the male Cheerio, wrapping an arm around Quinn.

It takes a couple of hours but eventually, everything is calm. Sue and Tanaka have finished talking to the police and are rounding up all of the students outside, who are all mercifully okay. Tina and Artie arrive on the scene just as they are leaving and everyone explains what happens. Tina breaks down and ends up in Artie's lap, asleep, as he wheels himself towards Burt's car, who offered to take them home earlier.

Puck, Rachel, and Quinn take the Cheerio's bus home. It's cramped now, but Sue surprisingly lets them ride in it.

Brittany and Santana sit together on the way home, Brittany crying uncontrollably into Santana's shoulder. Rachel is all cried out, and by the time the bus reaches her house, she's fallen asleep in Puck's lap. He carries her inside and decides it's alright if he spends the night that night.

Quinn sits alone, staring out the window. She rubs her flattened stomach and closes her eyes until it's time for her to get off the bus.

Emma Pillsbury has never seen Will cry. Well, she has, but not like this. She stays the night at his apartment and by the time they're supposed to go to bed he has used up two or three boxes of tissues. It's heartbreaking, and it makes her wretch. She wants to vomit.

But she doesn't. She holds him close, trying to stay strong, even though it's hard to.

No one goes to school the next day. Everyone spends the day at Kurt's house, drinking hot chocolate and watching TV to try and get their mind off of things. They accompany him when his family goes to visit Finn in the hospital, Quinn the most eager one of them all.

Right when they enter Finn's hospital room she kisses him as hard as she can, mumbling the words "I love you" over and over. He weakly returns the gesture, smiling faintly.

No one is surprised when Matt, Mike, Mercedes, or Becky don't show up at school the next day.

No one attends the wake that Sunday.

Maybe they can visit them, later on in life.

But right now, it hurts too much.


End file.
